ARRB was founded in 1960, with the purpose to serve the research needs of its members, on a cost recovery basis. It is currently a not-for-profit company that carries out paid consultancies. True research activities have diminished substantially. ARRB put its historic Vermont South headquarters on the market in 2017, its home since the early 1970's. The sale of this land was expected to generate significant revenue with estimates ranging from $18 million to $25 million. The new head office is located in the former General Motors site at Fisherman's Bend in Melbourne. In 2017, ARRB sold off its equipment manufacturing and international operations divisions. This new business is ARRB Systems Pty Ltd.
Governance
The Australian Road Research Board is governed by a Board of Directors, all with backgrounds or positions in major transport organisations. The Board Chairman position is held by Peter Duncan, and the position of Chief Executive Officer by Michael Caltabiano. Caltabiano said he would lead the group towards a focus on innovation, industry collaboration and the next-generation of road and transport solutions. ARRB is in-part supported by its member organisations, who provide leadership and competitive funding. Member organisations include federal, state and local government bodies responsible for managing the nation’s transport and road networks. ARRB also operates with these same organisations under the collective banner of Austroads.
Activities
In July 2015, the first trials of automated cars in the southern hemisphere were launched in Adelaide by a consortium, consisting of ARRB, Flinders University, Carnegie Mellon University, the RAA, Cohda Wireless and Bosch. Premier Jay Weatherill announced the trials, stating "Driverless cars have the ability to revolutionise transport in this country and we want to be at the forefront of that paradigm shift." ARRB, along with partners including VicRoads, Keolis Downer, La Trobe University, and RACV, launched an autonomous bus trial at La Trobe University's Bundoora campus in late 2017. The electric bus will begin taking passengers in 2018, as a proof of concept of a 'last-mile' solution to mobility.
